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Shin Meiwa US-1 / PS-1

1971 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

Xinminghe US-1 / PS-1 History

During World War II (1939-1945), the Kawanishi of Japanese concern excelled in the development and production of large airships for various surface missions - Search and Rescue (SAR), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), General Transportation , reconnaissance, etc. However, in the post-war period, the company had no foothold, so it was reorganized and reborn as "Shinmeiwa Industries".

This allowed the production of large aircraft to continue into the post-war period, and the company eventually morphed into what is now known as "ShinMaywa".

While its name remains Shin Meiwa, engineers set out to transform the existing American Grumman HU-16 Albatross airship (detailed elsewhere on this page) into a more modern product. This led to the prototype "UF-XS". The original twin-engine design gave way to a four-engine arrangement, with 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Meridians supporting the existing Wright R-1820 Meridian. The engines are all mounted on high wing main aircraft with wash kits that can be moved over and under the wing elements to improve lift characteristics.

The hull retains a boat-like hull with the flight deck in the short nose section. The tail has a "T-shaped" wing arrangement to eliminate propeller wash and other forces. Buoys are installed under the wing of the main aircraft to allow takeoff and landing from water sources.

The result is improved aircraft capabilities on and off the water - greater power output, longer range and Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) performance. With approval from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) authorities, the design entered testing in 1967 under the designation "PS-X" and made its maiden flight on October 5 of that year.

The aircraft's intended maritime roles will be anti-submarine and general patrolling. Signed two prototypes.

After completing the necessary evaluations, the PS-X was further developed as the "PS-1" when it entered service in 1969. It was officially launched in 1971 and a total of 23 PS-1 forms were purchased. On duty, they carry torpedoes, depth charges, missile weapons and sonobuoys, mainly for use against enemy submarines, with a crew of 10 consisting of pilots and position experts.

Submersible sonar provides useful anti-submarine qualities, but requires the aircraft to be on the surface to operate. Power comes from 4 x Ishikawajima T64-IHI-10 (GE T64) turboprop engines.

In its current form, the PS-1 is a viable aircraft, but it lacks true amphibious capabilities as an airship - it is limited to water operations in terms of landing and takeoff, so it carries its own beaches equipment. Then consider moving to a dedicated search and rescue form (SAR), which eliminates the need to adjust the PS-1 military equipment and carry retractable wheeled landing gear for land take-off and landing, along with the necessary SAR equipment that comes with it. This resulted in the "US-1", a true amphibious flying boat - six of which were built. The prototype flew for the first time on October 15, 1974. The US-1 designation also formed the "US-1A" standard, which included modified engines for improved STOL performance.

Fourteen were developed and commissioned to this standard, powered by four Ishikawajima T64-IHI-10J (GE T64) turboprop engines.

The PS-1 was decommissioned in 1989.

This series has been succeeded by the Xinminghe US-2 airships introduced in 2007 (described in detail elsewhere on this page). The brand started with the US-1A "Kai" developed in the 1990s and was equipped with a Rolls-Royce AE 2100J engine with a six-bladed propeller unit.

It was forced to impose on JMSDF when funding for a completely new design was not available. Therefore, it was adopted as US-2.

The PS-1/US-1/-1A series maintains a limited active presence on the JMSDF roster, but its best days of flying are clearly over - "Classification" retained in "Special Missions".